Torn
by Shanpuu
Summary: Three years after a second failed attack on Konoha by Orochimaru, Sakura, now 19, is kidnapped by the Akatsuki and given a proposition that she can't refuse. ItaSaku, DeiSaku, slight SasuSaku.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This'll be a long one, I hope! I know what you're thinking, DeiSaku what the hell? That's even crazier than ItaSaku! Well it _is_ but I haven't seen many DeiSaku pairings, so I thought I'd give it a go. And then I had an idea to include ItaSaku… and this messed up ItaSakuDei started to form in my head. Well, I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you do! One more thing, the rating might go up as I go along.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. It's the property of Masashi Kishimoto (and all those other companies..blah! I dunno, but it's mainly his) and I think it's best that way:D

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**Torn**

_By Shanpuu_

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The tired medic plodded slowly but dutifully towards her mentor's office. Ever since Orochimaru's attack three years prior, Sakura and her fellow med-nin had been worked into the ground. Though a fit and healthy girl of only 19 years, she was beginning to feel more like 5 times that and she and the other medics in the hospital had taken to spending their break times appraising the bags under each others eyes.

She'd been attending to an irritable young Shinobi's wounds when she'd received the message that Tsunade requested her presence. In a way, she was thankful for her teacher's timely interruption- the patients seemed to be acting especially difficult today, or maybe that was just because she was _so_ damn tired. Either way, it would be nice to have even a ten minute break away from the countless Kunai wounds, fractured limbs and other day-to-day pleasantries med-nins had to deal with.

But then again, Tsunade _knew_ just how busy the young Kunoichi was and she would only interrupt if it was absolutely necessary. So she could be sure this wasn't just a social visit, then.

When she reached the Hokage's office and cautiously entered, she was surprised to see her dependable mentor hunched over her desk looking every bit the 50 something years that her image illusion suppressed. Sakura froze in indecision, should she wake the sleeping lady or leave her to gain some much needed rest? Tsunade _had_ called for her, but… what with the current condition of Konoha, she doubted the older woman had slept a wink in months.

Orochimaru or _'that snake bastard',_ as Sakura had become fond of calling him, had nearly achieved his twisted goal of raising her cherished village to the ground. It had been his second and last attempt on Konoha, and while some had put it down to dumb luck, the optimistic decided the village still stood today because of its unconquerable 'spirit of fire'. Either way, the snake bastard's efforts had been vanquished and if rumours were to be trusted, had met his fateful end at the hands of Akatsuki after fleeing from the battle.

The same rumours told of the fall of the Akatsuki. Apparently, the old snake bastard had managed to fatally injure their leader before departing for the never world…

It was hard to believe… Konoha was _finally_ safe, and although many good Shinobi had been lost in the conflict, an undeniable sense of relief and excitement filled the village people. The threat of Orochimaru and Akatsuki no longer loomed on the horizon or in the recesses of everyone's mind.

Sakura tried to be as happy as her Leaf comrades, but she couldn't help but feel that something was missing… Or rather, _someone._

She and Naruto had met Sasuke a year before Orochimaru's attack, and after another unsuccessful attempt at exacting revenge upon his brother, the boy would have rather have cut off his own leg than return to the village with them. Sasuke had been so badly injured by his older sibling… It was all she could do not to flinch as she remembered the boy's grievous wounds. But, even though the young medic had saved his life and healed him until she hadn't even a pinch of chakra left, Sasuke had left her and Naruto again.

Those three gruelling years with Orochimaru hadn't been enough. He was still weaker than his brother, he'd nearly died. And without even a 'thank you', he was off again on his seemingly endless journey for power.

He had not been seen or heard of since.

Although famous for their 'never give up' attitude, and although she was still very much in love with him, Sakura along with Naruto had realised chasing after their team mate was futile. It would be unfair to drag him back to a place where he could never be content. But the two knew that one day when he'd had his revenge, he'd return to Konoha for sure… and when that day came, she and Naruto would welcome him back with open arms.

"Urghhhguhhh…."

Sakura was startled out of her thoughts by a deep guttural groan that'd give any demon a run for its money, and she watched as her mentor pitifully lifted her head from the desk that'd been her makeshift pillow. Sleep-filled hazel eyes struggled to open and adjust to the bright midday sun that poured through the office's huge windows.

"Why are there so many damn windows in this office?" The Hokage cursed, blinking furiously and wiping the long line of drool from her chin. Then, her eyes widened as she finally noticed the other occupant of the room. "Sakura?"

"Uh…" Sakura's smile was strained, no matter how many times she had seen her mentor looking so dishevelled it still managed to disarm her, "You called for me Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage narrowed her eyes in contemplation for a few moments, before perking up and triumphantly smacking her hand on the desk. "Of course! I did, didn't I?" Her mood soon dampened, however, "Ugh, I can't believe I fell asleep _again_…"

"Maybe you should get some rest?" Sakura offered, but the blonde quickly shook her head.

"Everyone needs to do their part in re-establishing Konoha, the Hokage included," Tsunade explained, but her dismal tone and tired eyes betrayed her dutiful words. She sighed, paused then waved her apprentice over.

"Anyway, Sakura… I called you here for a very important reason," Long-nailed fingers skimmed through a brown folder on the desk, deftly pulling out a sheet of paper and placing it in front of the pink haired girl. "We've just received a message from Shunyou," The older lady began, as Sakura sat before her and looked down curiously at the white piece of paper.

There was a map of Fire country with a line pointing to 'Shunyou' in the east, and some hastily scribbled notes below it. She scanned over them as the Hokage continued to speak.

"Shunyou is one of the larger villages that I dispatch a med-nin to every month to attend to the villagers there and in the surrounding areas," The blonde explained and Sakura nodded in comprehension. She'd heard about the so-called 'mobile med-nins'; as there was little to no danger in these missions, they were usually young, novice medics who would heal minor injuries of the villagers to accumulate experience.

"The last medic I sent to Shunyou hasn't returned… He arrived safely and carried out his duties, but on the third day he disappeared," She sighed, her eyes growing sad, "The villagers found his belongings in his room at the inn, but other than that… there's not even a trace left of him."

Sakura bit her lip. "What could have happened?"

Again, the Hokage sighed and gently shut her eyes. "I have no idea. With Konoha's situation, well… I haven't been able to spare even one ANBU."

"So," The young medic began, lifting her eyes from the paper in front of her, "You want me to go and investigate?"

"Yes, that's part of it…" Tsunade answered, "The message that we received earlier- it wasn't just about our missing medic. Six of the village's children have been poisoned and, judging by the descriptions of their conditions, I'd guess that… at the most, they only have three days to live.

"Without seeing them in person, there's no way I'd be able to mix up an antidote and I'm far too busy to go out there myself," Her teacher paused, opened her eyes and smiled proudly at the younger girl. "And the only other person who's as good at neutralising poisons as me… is you."

Sakura smiled determinedly. "Then I'd better get going, huh?" She quickly stood from her seat and turned to leave, but a strong hand gripped her arm and held her in place. Startled, she looked questioningly into the Hokage's stern hazel eyes.

"I have no idea what you're going to be faced with out there, Sakura… so please be careful."

The young apprentice stood still for a few moments, stunned, then smirked confidently at the blonde woman. "Don't worry, I'll be fine! _You're_ the one who trained me, remember?"

Tsunade slowly released her tight grip on Sakura's arm and grinned in a way that reminded the pink haired girl of Naruto. "Heh, you have a point."

Sakura smiled as she exited the Hokage's office. Although her mission was an urgent, serious one, she couldn't help but feel exhilarated at the prospect of being out of the stuffy, confining hospital.

----

Within no time at all, Sakura had gathered her belongings and the items she'd need for the mission, and was well on her way towards Shunyou. She regretted not being able to say goodbye to Naruto, but figured that he'd understand. He'd been just as busy as her, if not more, and if he was not on a mission he'd be fast asleep in his room recuperating or pigging out at Ichiraku ramen. Either way, she didn't want to disturb him. Plus, she'd be sending Tsunade mission updates every day so it wouldn't be hard to send Naruto a few letters too.

The young medic closed her eyes and allowed her instincts to steer her as she leapt from tree to tree, and as the wind rushed past her face, she almost felt as if she were flying. As she glided through the forest like a graceful bird, her thoughts drifted to the mission. Shunyou was a small port town on the east coast of Fire country and a good day's journey away from Konoha, but if she continued at this pace and took no breaks, she would maybe reach it before nightfall.

Lives depended on her haste and although Tsunade had estimated the children had around three days to live, she couldn't take any chances.

----

Even though Sakura was exhausted from the day's journey, she still admired the beauty of the small town known as Shunyou. After emerging from a dense forest she'd found herself atop a tall mountain, looking down upon a large cluster of houses and buildings, their candlelit rooms sparkling in the thick of night like hundreds of static fireflies. A river ran through the centre of the village and opened out to the sea, where a few ships loomed on the horizon, the light pouring out from their windows reflecting prettily on the water around them. It was pleasant and quaint, and nothing at all like the bustling village of Konoha that she was so used to.

Reminding herself she wasn't here to admire the scenery, she quickly made her way down towards the village.

When she arrived at the village gates, she was surprised to see a well-dressed middle-aged man standing in front of them, nervously wringing his hands together. As she approached she noticed that he was scrutinizing her carefully and seemed to be taking particular interest in her forehead.

_How rude_, she thought angrily, her old insecurity about having an oversized forehead rearing its ugly head. It was only when his small eyes travelled higher and suddenly widened in shock, that Sakura realised what the man had been looking for.

"You're from Konoha aren't you?" He cried excitedly, a small chubby finger pointing at the forehead protector tied around her head.

"Yeah," She nodded, "I'm here to-"

"This way!" The short man beckoned her inside the gates and after quickly checking that she was following, hurried off into the village as if he had a pack of hungry wolves at his heels.

"I'm the mayor of Shunyou, Shintara Yasuo," He explained as they went, panting slightly, "I'm very grateful for you to have come so fast. Although we didn't expect you until tomorrow, I couldn't help but wait at the gates for you…" He turned and grinned at her as they rounded a corner and started down a long, narrow street. "I'm glad that I did now!"

"Myself and the Hokage understand the urgency of the situation," She replied, smiling tiredly back at the kindly mayor.

"Ahh the Hokage is indeed a great woman," The older man said softly, then suddenly his tone grew serious. "The children are being kept at my residence in the centre of town, it's not too far away now."

"Okay."

After a few minutes of taking many twists and turns through the dark, cobble-lined streets, they reached what Sakura guessed was the mayor's residence; a stone wall surrounded a tall hill, upon which lay a winding pathway that stretched up to a mansion perched imposingly on its peak.

When they had climbed to the top and stood outside the mansion's grand wooden doors, Yasuo turned to the young medic. "What's your name, dear?" He questioned her.

"Haruno Sakura."

"Alright. Please come in Sakura-san," He opened the doors and led her inside, where she was quickly directed to a large room with several beds, upon which the 6 poisoned children lay, their worried parents hovering at their bedsides. She dropped her bags and hastily made her way over to the first bed, the kind mayor anxiously following behind her. There, a little boy of about six looked impossibly small and vulnerable in the large bed he lay in, and Sakura's eyes softened as she noticed his scrunched eyes and clenched fists; he was obviously in lot of pain.

He suddenly whimpered, and Sakura placed her palm on his clammy forehead to soothe him. His sharp, ragged breaths slowed and when he had finally calmed, the medic allowed her chakra to enter his body and surmise the damage. Immediately, she realised that he was suffering a lot of pain in his abdominal region. She looked up to his mother and father, who were understandably close to tears.

"What was he doing before he fell ill?" She asked. From her quick examination she already had a good idea of what had poisoned him, but it would be best to make sure.

His mother furrowed her brow in thought, "Well… he became sick around dinner time, yesterday. Before that he and the other children were out playing near the mountains…"

"Alright," She nodded, "It's as I suspected. I believe they've ingested a rare poisonous mushroom, the destroying angel. It grows mainly in mountainous areas," Sakura paused, and looked down at the young boy tentatively, "Unfortunately… in this case, I can't remove the poison directly, but I can make an antidote. I'll just need you to fetch a few ingredients for me…"

"So they'll be alright?" The mayor asked eagerly, and smiled in relief at the med-nin's affirmative nod.

"Thank goodness," The boy's father exhaled deeply and embraced his wife, and the two stayed that way for a while, sobbing softly against each other.

Sakura smiled, revelling in the relieved, emotional moment. _This is definitely part of the reason I became a med-nin._

----

The warm morning sunshine filtered into the small hotel room and gently roused the slumbering girl from her deep and peaceful sleep. Yawning, she sat up in bed and stretched her arms high above her head, as if reaching towards the ceiling. All stretched out, she turned and looked out the room's large windows to the glorious day that bloomed outside. She could see the sea from here, and the calm blue waters seemed to extend into eternity.

If she could choose one way to wake up every morning, this would be it. A certain black haired boy would be beside her too, of course, but she'd persuaded herself that _that_ was a dream that was shattered a long time ago. A _childish _little dream that had ended long before it even began. After all, Sasuke had only one person on his mind- his bastard of a brother… And he wouldn't hesitate to damn near destroy himself to kill that bastard.

She clenched her eyes tightly as she remembered the night she'd spent healing him after his failed attempt on his brother's life. She'd never cried so much… She'd never seen someone lose so much blood, she was _so_ sure he'd die but having the stubbornness only one in love could possess, she'd refused to give up on him. All through the night, she poured every last drop of chakra into his dying body until she'd collapsed, her head resting on his bloodied stomach. It had paid off, Sasuke had somehow pulled through…

But only to run off and do the same damned thing again?

Before she could fall too deeply into her gloomy Sasuke-filled thoughts, she quickly got out of bed and began to dress. Looking after the people in Shunyou was a lot more enjoyable than she'd expected and as the saying goes, time really flies when you're having fun… and before she knew it, she'd already spent four days there. As thanks for curing the children and tending to the villagers' wounds and illnesses, Sakura had been treated like a queen. So far it had been the break she'd badly needed from her work back at the hospital, but she still felt a little guilty and wished her fellow Leaf Shinobi could enjoy it too.

When she'd dressed, she pulled out a sheet of paper and pen from her bag and lay on the bed on her stomach. She propped herself up on her elbows and began to write.

_Dear Tsunade-sama,_

_It's day four of my stay in Shunyou. I have healed most of the villagers, and only a few with small complaints are left. I have also been asking around about our missing med-nin, but nobody seems to have seen or heard anything._

She paused and glanced over to a few bags that'd been dumped in the corner of her room. The villagers had given them to her, explaining that they'd found them left in the med-nin's room after his disappearance.

_I've searched his belongings, too, but have found no clues pertaining to his disappearance. It's just as you said- he seems to have vanished without a trace. I will stay vigilant, but I'm doubtful about what I'll be able to turn up. _

_As I'm nearly done here, I'll be returning to Konoha tomorrow. Please don't tell Naruto- I want to surprise him._

A grin curled the corners of her lips as she thought of the blonde haired ninja. Along with the daily updates she sent to Tsunade, she'd also sent letters to her team mate and best friend, as she knew he'd be pulling his hair out in worry for her. Every letter he'd sent her asked when she'd be returning, and she couldn't help but giggle as she imagined him anxiously writing them.

_I'll see you soon,_

_Sakura_

Smiling, she finished writing her letter, rolled it up and placed it in her bag and exited her room. It was only when she was out of the building and halfway down the street that she realised she'd left the letter behind. She paused for a moment in indecision, then shrugged and decided she'd just send it later.

----

It was only when the sun was dipping behind the horizon and casting a warm, golden glow over the village's rooftops that Sakura headed back towards the hotel where she was staying. It had been a long day, but enjoyable nonetheless. She'd healed many people, with problems ranging from bad backs to twisted ankles… but she was more than happy to do it. As she walked through the beautiful, quaint little town, inspiration suddenly struck and she decided to head towards the beach to watch the sunset where it's at its most beautiful.

Apart from a few fishermen tending to their boats, the beach was deserted. She pulled off her boots and walked barefoot in the soft, heated sand, indulging in the evening's unparalleled tranquillity. For a while she just walked, lost in her thoughts, watching the sun light up the sea as it fell below the horizon, and enjoying the cool coastal breeze that brushed against her skin.

Her peace shattered, however, when she spotted a young boy crouched in the distance, his hands and feet covered in blood. Her medic instincts kicking in, she dropped her boots and rushed towards him with speed that even Lee would be proud of.

As she grew closer, she realised he was the young boy whom she'd tended to first on the night of her arrival.

"Are you alright?" She gasped as she knelt at his side and took his hands in hers. There were no cuts on his fingers or body, so where had the blood come from?

"My…my foot," He sobbed, and pointed at the offending bloody appendage that was clutched in his hands, "I-I cut it," He whimpered, "On a pebble."

Relief washed over her as she realised he wasn't fatally injured, and she quickly placed her hand over the small injury. Shimmering green chakra surrounded the wound, and within seconds it had all but disappeared.

The boy stared at his foot, as if discovering it for the first time, "You're… really cool," The pain now forgotten, he paused and scrunched his nose up. "For a girl, that is."

"You're not too bad yourself," She mimicked his scrunched up nose, "For a boy, that is. Most boys I've met are annoying."

"Girls are really dumb…" He protested, and gone was the awe from his eyes of a few moments ago, "And smelly!"

"Yeah? Well boys are-" Sakura paused, and nearly smacked her forehead. _Am I really bickering with a six year old? I'm around Naruto so much he's starting to rub off on me…_

"Anyway," The medic said softly, "Do you wanna go clean that blood off of your arms and legs?" She suggested, gesturing towards the sea, "You don't wanna give your parents a heart attack when you get home."

The boy sighed and nodded, and slowly rose to his feet. Sakura moved to join him but froze when the young boy yelped and looked above her, his large eyes filled with fear.

Hold on… had it been this dark a moment ago? She quickly realised that a shadow had passed over her, and that someone was obviously standing behind her. If the little boy's terrified expression was anything to go by, it couldn't be anyone friendly.

Filled with trepidation, she slowly turned and looked behind and above her… right into a pair of blood red eyes staring back.

"Sakura-san, you will come with us now."

_U-Uchiha… Itachi…_

Her mind was too panicked to realise that he'd said _us_ and she didn't notice the second imposing figure until the young boy squealed out in shock, and she turned to see the unmistakable form of Kisame towering behind her, holding the wriggling little boy up by his shirt. The shark man grinned widely, flashing two rows of sharp, jagged white teeth. His skin appeared a horrifying, sickly grey hue in the day's fading light.

Panicked thoughts raced through her mind. Weren't Akatsuki out of action? She remembered Naruto saying Jiraiya had told him as much only a month ago! What reason did he have to lie? He'd said the leader had been killed right? Then surely they would have disbanded or something… So why were there two Akatsuki members standing before and behind her, looking as lively as ever and very much _in_ action?

And what in the world did they want with _her_?

"I-If I refuse?" She wet her lips and spoke shortly, not trusting herself to say anything more.

"I think you know what will happen," Came the Uchiha's deep and evenly spoken reply.

Her green eyes fell upon the young boy's frightened, sweat covered face and then to the disgusting, beady eyes of Kisame, filled with unambiguous intent to kill. Were the Akatsuki really so cowardly they needed to take a hostage in order to capture her? She clenched her eyes shut. No, even if the boy was a million miles away, she hadn't a snowball's chance in hell of standing up to the two S-rank criminals. If the boy wasn't here, maybe she'd give it a go… but right now that wasn't an option.

"Let him go. I'll come with you," Sakura whispered softly, defeated. Kisame threw the struggling boy to the ground roughly, and Sakura watched as he scrambled to his feet and ran towards the village, sobbing loudly.

"Help! Someone please help her!" She heard him cry as he ran away and she felt close to tears, knowing that his efforts would be futile.

"Stand up," Kisame ordered gruffly and she did as she was told. She felt two strong but delicate hands grip her shoulders and turn her around, and she came face to face with the man who had indirectly caused so much pain and suffering in her life.

His eyes seemed to surround her, capture her, draw her into their crimson depths, and with muted horror she realised that she couldn't look away.

"It will be easier this way." Was all she heard as her world slipped into darkness.

----

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A/N: Next chapter out soon! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. It's the property of Masashi Kishimoto (and all those other companies..blah! I dunno, but it's mainly his) and I think it's best that way :D_  
_

_----_

_xx_

_----_

**Torn**

_Chapter 2_

_By Shanpuu_

_----_

_xx_

_----_

Sakura shot up in bed, startled, a harsh, ragged breath caught in her dry throat. As her wide eyes slowly adjusted to the scarce light in the room, she desperately gasped the air back into her hitching lungs.

A sudden image of crimson, luminous eyes flashed into her vision and she clenched her own in shock, trying frantically to force it away. Hot tears formed in the corners of her eyes and ran tracks silently down her cheeks.

_A… nightmare…? _She wondered, as her breathing finally steadied and she was able to think clearly. Though her vision was obscured, she looked anxiously around the darkened room and out the window, and almost laughed in relief when she saw the sea, shimmering in silver under the moon's pale light. There was no doubt about it; this was the same hotel room she'd stayed in since her arrival in Shunyou.

_It _was _a nightmare_, She thought giddily and flopped back onto the bed, closing her tired, tear-filled eyes. Sakura sighed and couldn't help but laugh again, shaking her head at her own stupidity.

_Nineteen and I'm still letting silly little nightmares scare the hell out of me… But still, _She frowned,_ A nightmare about the Akatsuki? I wonder what brought that on…_

Still giggling slightly, she raised her hands to wipe the tears from her clammy skin, but nearly screamed out when she realised that they were bound at the wrists.

…_No!_

Panicked terror shot through her, and she quickly rolled off the bed and onto the cold wooden floor, standing shakily on her bare feet.

_No no no! It wasn't a nightmare! _Wide green eyes stared in horror at her tightly bound hands. Unless she'd gotten _really_ drunk last night, it looked as if she had indeed been captured by Akatsuki. _Then… this isn't my hotel room…?_

Looking out the window, she noticed the many differences that her tear-filled eyes had failed to spot earlier… among other things, in Shunyou there'd been a long wooden peer stretching far into the distance, and unless someone had decided to break it down and hide the evidence while she slept, she was _definitely _somewhere else.

_I have to escape._ She thought urgently, _But first thing's first…_

She needed to get these stupid bonds off of her wrists. They looked to be a few lengths of black wire… innocent enough, but she _knew _there had to be more to it; 'A ninja must look underneath the underneath', as Kakashi-sensei would say. She doubted she'd be able to slip her hands out, or cut the wire on anything… but maybe if she used her 'monstrous strength' -as Naruto called it- she could force the bonds apart.

That decided, she focussed her chakra into her hands, but before she could gather even half of what she needed, the strange wire began to glow a brilliant blue that reminded her of Sasuke's chidori. As she watched the crackling energy in morbid fascination, a bolt suddenly shot up her arm and plunged into her torso. A paralysing pain exploded into her chest and she felt as though someone was squeezing her lungs with all their might. The stunned girl crumpled to her knees, gasping and spluttering for air.

As the pain slowly ebbed away she lay her forehead on the floor and tried to steady her coarse breathing. "Wh-What the hell was that…"

A low, rumbling chuckle was her answer. "Heh, I don't think you'll be trying that again anytime soon…"

Stunned, Sakura lifted her head and turned to see who had spoken. She was startled to see the looming figure of Kisame by the now-open door, his small, fish-like eyes watching her intently. He towered over the considerably shorter man beside him, who Sakura might not have noticed if it wasn't for his unmistakable, piercing red eyes.

"We would like you to come with us," Itachi spoke in that steady, irritatingly calm voice of his and it only succeeded in grating on the young medic's frazzled nerves.

"I-I don't know what the _hell _you've brought me here for, but whatever it is… you can just forget about it!" She huffed indignantly and shakily rose to her feet, wanting to seem closer to their height. As she didn't feel like glaring up at Kisame, she turned her anger to Itachi instead, "No I'm _not_ gonna be bait for you to get Naruto! I'd sooner bite my tongue and bleed to death than let you use me for that. So unless you came in here for a friendly chat, or better- to let me go, you can just turn around and march your stupid Akatsuki asses _right_ back out."

A few laden silent moments passed, Sakura glared and Itachi only stared. And maybe she was imagining it, but Kisame seemed to be trying to suppress an amused smirk.

Finally… "Sakura-san," he spoke again, "You will come with us now."

The same words he'd said before casting a sleep genjutsu over her... Was he threatening to do it again? That no matter if she screamed and kicked off a storm, they'd _still_ get their way, so it would be useless to even _attempt _to resist them? Well right now, Sakura didn't give a damn. If she was going to die -and she was sure that she was- she'd make things as difficult for them as possible.

Her lips curled into a wicked smirk. "I refuse."

Her mind set, she hardened her jaw and stood as confidently as one could in front of two ridiculously dangerous criminals. If they wanted her to follow them, they'd just have to drag her out kicking and screaming.

_Yeah, there's no way I'm going to-_

Suddenly, Itachi was standing in front of her. She hadn't even seen him move.

His long, pale fingers slid under her chin and gently raised her head so that her bright green eyes met his. Caught in the peculiar moment, Sakura couldn't help but notice how long and thick his dark lashes were, and how perfectly they framed his deep, crimson, swirling eyes.

_Wait_… swirling?

_Not agai-_

She hadn't even time to finish her thought as her world once again fell into darkness.

_----_

_xx_

_----_

… better wake soon." A deep voice was saying as Sakura slowly came to.

Again, it felt like no time had passed since she'd fallen into Itachi's enticing red eyes, and Sakura felt frustrated at how easily he was able to subdue her. She'd always been talented when it came to dispelling genjutsu, but Itachi had managed to capture her in his enchantment _twice_ now… and each time, she'd been powerless to resist it.

_Just how powerful _is _he?_ She wondered as she sat up slowly, her eyes gradually adjusting to the inky blackness surrounding her.

"Ah, she's awake…" It was the same deep voice she'd heard as she'd gained consciousness. Turning to where the voice had come from, she could just barely make out a figure bathed in shadows, lying upon a low mattress about a few feet in front of her. Why was it _so_ dark in this room? Glancing about her, she realised with great confusion that there were no windows… and with growing trepidation, she wondered why she'd been brought here.

"Haruno Sakura, right?" The man's voice cut through the darkness, it was soft and strangely soothing, but filled with subtle undertones of authority. She nodded and he seemed to have seen her, as he quickly continued, "The Hokage's little apprentice, hmm? You certainly lucked out this time, Itachi."

Never one for idle banter, Itachi merely stared down at the man with his usual indifference.

"Wh-Who?" The fearful medic inquired softly, her eyes never leaving the concealed figure before her.

"My name? It doesn't matter, but I suppose you might call me the leader of Akatsuki."

Sakura bit her lip and frowned in confusion. _But you're meant to be dead…_ she felt like saying, but restrained herself. She might as well have, as the man seemed to have read her thoughts.

"You're aware of the battle Orochimaru and I fought, no doubt," He spoke, and Sakura listened with undivided attention, "My old subordinate believed he had taken my life. Well, as you now know… he left me very much alive."

"Only," His tone grew quiet, filled with bitter mirth, "I am unable to recover from the… _wounds_ he left me with. And after three years of searching for a med-nin with the capability to heal me… we have found no one..."

_And?_ Sakura wanted to demand, she could tell where this was going, _Am I supposed to care? To help out the man who intends to extract the Kyuubi for his own twisted purpose, and in doing so take the life of my best friend?_

_Are the Akatsuki _really_ that stupid?_

"You are no fool, you know what I'm asking of you Sakura."

Feeling anger building up inside, she raised her narrowed green eyes to glare at the feared leader of Akatsuki. "To help you murder someone I love, right?" She spat out bitterly, and she continued when she saw his eyes widen questioningly. "Uzumaki Naruto, my best friend. Or the 'Kyuubi Jinchuuriki' to _you_ evil bastards. He's been hated and shunned for all of his life… but because he's such a wonderful person, he's come through it…

…and I won't allow his end to come from a _cowardly bastard _like you!"

A low, humourless chuckle, and if he'd been able to move, she was sure he'd be clapping mockingly. "A cute little speech, Sakura. But it won't help your current situation. You will either heal me, or die like the others who've stood in your place."

"Then… you'll just have to kill me." It really wasn't a hard decision.

A few moments of silence passed, and Sakura shut her eyes, patiently waiting for her end to come. But then, surprisingly, she heard the man speak again.

"Then I suppose I'll have to offer you a proposition," He said tiredly, despondently and Sakura's eyes shot open in shock, "Perhaps it's only a hunch, but I believe you _do_ have the skill to heal me. So, if you succeed not only will you leave here with your life… but I'll give you my word that the Akatsuki will never again pursue the Kyuubi."

"Th-That's ridiculous… you've all been hunting the Kyuubi for so long now, why would you just give up on it? And besides… I don't even know if I _can_ heal you!"

"_Sakura_," His tone was harsh, cautioning, the same as her mother's when she'd done something wrong, "What use is the Kyuubi to me if I can't use even one jutsu? Don't you think that it's a worthwhile sacrifice? I lose the Kyuubi, but regain the usage of my body…and Akatsuki will still be able to attain the rest of the bijuu."

And suddenly, the reality of what he was offering her fully sunk in. To have complete access to the Akatsuki leader's body, inside and out. Without his little Akatsuki lapdogs, he was practically helpless lying there… He had even admitted that he was unable to move or use _any_ jutsu at all; he was entirely vulnerable.

A reckless, dangerous idea entered her head… and as she thought on it, it only became more appealing.

…_I… could pretend to heal him, but while I'm doing it…_

…_If I waited for the right moment… could I…_

So much had happened, she didn't know if she was thinking straight or not.

_Am I just afraid to die…? No, I've been close to death more times than I can count. I'm not afraid… but with a chance like this… can I just ignore it?_

The opportunity to rid the world of the Akatsuki for good had just been offered up to her on a silver platter and although it was riskier than anything else she'd done, the temptation was too much to resist.

"Sakura, you have my word," He said firmly, interrupting her thoughts, "If my word is not enough for you, you may shake my hand… although I am unable to shake back. Come here."

_If I don't heal him, he'll eventually find someone else to do it anyway… If I go through with this, I could make sure Naruto never has to worry about the Akatsuki ever again! _

Decided, she knelt at his side, slipped one of her bound hands into his -it was large, calloused and greatly dwarfed hers- and shook gently, her jaw set as she stared fixedly into his angled eyes. Her mind was running a mile.

_But I have to be careful, if they suspect what I'm doing I'll be killed right away. I-I'll do it gradually… With my chakra in his body, there are so many ways I could kill him! And he wouldn't even realise until it's too late. _

"We have a deal?" The shadow-hidden man asked impatiently at her silence.

"It's a deal…"

As her hand lay in his, she had never felt so determined in her life.

_You'll regret writing me off as a gullible, naïve little girl, you bastard… You'll never get your hands anywhere near Naruto or the Kyuubi or any other Jinchuuriki in the world… because I swear, on Konoha's spirit of fire, that you _will _die by my hands._

The Akatsuki leader smiled; his eyes closed, and he revealed a row of sharp, gleaming white teeth.

"Go. You will begin healing me tomorrow morning, Sakura." The way he drawled her name made her feel sick.

Kisame's strong hand hooked under her armpit and roughly pulled her off her knees. Then, he began pulling her towards the room's exit. But a thought suddenly struck Sakura, and she twisted violently out of his grasp.

"W-wait!" She cried, and the man on the mattress opened his eyes curiously, "The med-nin from Konoha! He went missing in Shunyou too, did you…?" It was blatantly obvious now that he'd suffered the same fate as she, but in the shock of the whole situation, it had only just occurred to her.

Suddenly, the leader's earlier words echoed in her mind:

"_You will either heal me, or die like the others who've stood in your place."_

"N-no…"

"I suggest you enjoy the rest of this night, Sakura, because if you fail, it _will _be your last."

_----_

_xx_

_----_

_Enjoy_ the rest of the night, he'd said.

As Sakura lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, she couldn't help but wonder what she'd gotten herself into. After her little meeting with the Akatsuki leader, Kisame had practically dragged her back to the room she'd woken up in and, from the many clicks and clonks she'd heard, bolted the door about ten _damn _times. That she'd been locked in didn't bother her too much; she wasn't keen on attempting escape anyway, but why the hell had Itachi _stayed_ in the room with her?

The Uchiha prodigy was now calmly -was anything he did _not_ calm?- sitting beside the window, staring indifferently at the beautiful night outside. Bathed in the pale glow of the moon, he sat silently, unmoving, and Sakura wondered if he wasn't an intricate statue carved of ivory. And although his crimson eyes had not fallen on her once, she was unable to keep her own from frequently glancing at him.

She tightly closed her eyes and tried to ignore him, but it was in vain. His refined profile entered her mind, and she found herself reminded of a certain other black haired boy.

_Sasuke… _

_I haven't seen his face in three years now… I bet they look alike._

Involuntarily, she opened her eyes and studied the Uchiha's face again. If his eyes were black and those lines -what _were _they?- beside his nose were gone, she'd be hard pressed to tell the two apart.

Suddenly, the image of Sasuke dying under her blood-covered hands flashed across her vision, and she cringed in shock. His brow was creased, his breathing deep and deafeningly loud… and parts of him that should have been inside, weren't.

_He… he did that to him…_

Her eyes were fixed unseeingly on the older Uchiha.

To forget the terrifying image, she forced herself to remember back to when Team 7 had just formed and Kakashi had taken them out to the training grounds for his infamous 'bell test'. Even then, Sasuke was consumed by hatred for his brother… she remembered the words he'd spoken to her when the two were alone. It'd been the first time she'd seen such raw pain on anyone's face…

'_There's a man that only I can kill.'_

'_I am an avenger. I have to become stronger than that man. So I can't just stay around here…'_

Back then, she'd been so young… and so blinded by her undying 'love' for him, that she hadn't realised the true weight of those words. But now she knew better, she had thought about those words _so _much she could recite them in her sleep. In short, it was the story of Sasuke's life. Never resting, never enjoying and certainly never _loving_; he only lived and breathed revenge.

All his pain and suffering had been caused by the man but two meters away from her…and as she cursed his name and the ground he walked on and imagined all of the gruesome ways she'd love to see him die, Itachi sat peacefully by the window, blissfully unaware.

Frustrated, she turned brusquely on the bed and stared at the plain wall, instead of the infuriatingly serene Uchiha.

_I can't stop you from destroying your brother… you've practically already done that anyway. But… I'll make sure you can't do the same to Naruto!_

_----_

_xx_

_----_

A/N: Okay, so now we know what Akatsuki wants with Sakura and what she intends to do about it. And nope… no Deidara this chapter -gets pelted by tomatoes- but he'll appear soon, I promise!

Thank you for the reviews! A few responses (these _are _allowed, right? O.o):

**EnV: **She found him, in a way I guess… poor little nameless guy.

**Miakoda: **Although my Itachi hasn't really done much yet, I'm glad to hear that! He _is _difficult to write, especially in a romantic story… I hope I can do him justice. Also, I checked out your DA and I don't have an account to comment there, but I _love_ the ItaSaku pic in your featured! You're very talented.

**Mind At Loss: **Looks like you're right! And yeah, DeiSaku has so much potential but it seems difficult to find stories on them… we need _more_!

**Animeaddict & inosentengtabonista (**jebus that's a long name: Glad to hear you like DeiSaku, too! The story is going sorta slow right now, but I'm sure you'll enjoy what I have in mind!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Warning: **A teeny spoiler for around 250-270 in the manga, but if you know who Deidara is (if you're reading this I'm guessing you do!) it won't be a problem. And I totally forgot a disclaimer, eep! (Thank you ItachiXme, your review was totally awesome and I'll respond to it fully next chapter!)_

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. It's the property of Masashi Kishimoto (and all those other companies..blah! I dunno, but it's mainly his) and I think it's best that way:D

_----_

_xx_

_---_

Torn

Chapter 3

By Shanpuu

_----_

_xx_

_---_

_This can't be happening… This _really_ can't be happening._ _Any moment now I'm gonna wake up and this will aaaall be a dream…_

_Yep. Anyyy moment now…_

Kakashi's hand gently squeezing his shoulder brought the pensive ninja back to reality. "Naruto. Are you alright?"

"No, not really," He answered honestly to his sensei, then nodded to the third man in the room. "But go on."

The two Konoha Ninjas sat before the mayor of Shunyou in his grand lounge, soberly discussing the disappearance of the third member of their team.

"Ah… as I was saying, three days ago a young boy from the village burst into my house in a flutter and gave my wife quite a shock; he was covered in blood and screaming about a _demon shark _and a _nice lady._" The mayor explained, "We calmed him down and finally managed to make sense of his words, and we found that the nice lady was undoubtedly Sakura-san and she had healed him, then… was 'captured by a demon and a shark-man in black cloaks…'" He paused, furrowing his brow thoughtfully, "I believe he said there were red _clouds_ on their cloaks, but he may have imagined it…"

"A _'demon and a shark-man'_? No, he's probably right…" Kakashi sighed, glancing sadly at his distressed student. "So it's safe to say the Akatsuki are involved."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. _Akatsuki… took Sakura-chan?_

"I'm very sorry…" The solemn mayor continued gently, "Quite a few strong Ninjas pass through the village, and we gathered them as fast as we could and headed down to the beach. But… we couldn't find any trace of the poor girl, and the tide had came in so any footprints there might have been were washed away…"

As the mayor's stark words sunk in, Naruto only grew more and more uneasy. When Sakura hadn't sent a letter for two days, he'd been worried sick to the extent that he couldn't even stomach his favourite ramen. When he hadn't received one for a _third_ day, he'd been ready to charge out of the Konoha gates and find her himself, without even the faintest idea of where to go.

Thankfully Tsunade had visited him with Kakashi in tow before he could do so, and assigned the two of them a mission to head to Shunyou and find her. The Hokage had looked _so_ apprehensive and tired that Naruto even found himself pitying the old hag; what with Konoha in such a desperate situation and now, her cherished apprentice going MIA, he really didn't blame her. He, himself, had barely been able to sleep. For three whole days he'd done nothing but worry about his missing team-mate and although he repeatedly tried to reassure himself…

_Maybe Sakura-chan just couldn't find any paper!_

_Or… they've ran out of birds to deliver the message!_

_Or-or… maybe she just plain _forgot

…it just didn't work. Sakura-chan was _missing_ and nothing could distract him from that fact. And now that he knew it was the Akatsuki who'd taken her…

Clenching his fists, he suddenly stood and stared meaningfully down to his sensei. "Why are we just sitting here talking when Sakura-chan could be…" That line of thought was far too painful to explore, so he shook his head and tried again. "We need to hurry and look for her! Who knows what Akatsuki want from her?"

But if Naruto was entirely honest to himself, he could think of a _very_ likely reason the Akatsuki would want her. And it ate away at his heart… "Why _would _Akatsuki take her, Kakashi-sensei? It-It's my fault, isn't it? They're still after the Kyuubi…"

Kakashi smiled reassuringly at his upset student. "They _are _after the Kyuubi… but I don't think it's that, Naruto. If they wanted to use her as bait to get to you, they'd have let us know somehow…" As Naruto mulled this over and decided his sensei had a point, the older man continued, "And Sakura is very intelligent… the Akatsuki seem to need her skills for something, so she's still alive. I'm confident she'll keep her wits about her and somehow let us know where she's at."

"But, saying that…" The masked man's visible eye closed in what was obviously a gentle smile, "We can't just sit around and wait, right?"

The blonde grinned gratefully to his sensei. "Right!"

"We should head down to the beach and I can summon my Ninken to see if they can find any trace of her scent."

"Alright."

His jaw set, his eyes determined, he resolutely vowed, "We'll find you Sakura-chan!"

_----_

_xx_

_---_

Itachi scooped the collapsed girl up into his arms; her limbs reached limply towards the floor, her only movement the slight rise and fall of her chest. She appeared to be in a deep, peaceful slumber but in fact, she had passed out from the extensive energy and chakra exerted in healing the leader's intricate injuries.

It was the third day of her stay with the Akatsuki, and the second morning she'd spent healing their leader, and already her progress had been more than impressive.

"I can… feel it already. After only two days…" The laying man's eyes, all that were visible in the darkness, were wide and excited. "My body, I can feel the mattress under me, I can _almost _move my foot. Her skill, truly it is amazing…"

The Uchiha regarded the man on the bed for a few moments, before speaking shortly. "It is fortunate."

Fortunate he and Kisame had happened across the young med-nin on that deserted beach, fortunate that she possessed the talent to heal the leader's extensive wounds, and fortunate that she'd agreed to do it so trustingly… perhaps stupidly.

"Heh… indeed it is."

Itachi continued to the door and as he left, he heard the crippled man's soft, mocking voice.

"But it is also unfortunate Itachi, _mm_?"

Unfortunate for the girl that Akatsuki could never give up on the Kyuubi; it was their ultimate goal after all and she was foolish for not realising that. It was possible that she'd escape with her life, however, but what a waste it was to a fool such as her, to one who was seduced so easily by the devil's tempting, deceitful words, but still- she was a necessary pawn in his grander scheme of things and because of that, he carried her to her room carefully, silently so as not to disturb her. Not because he cared, of course, but if she didn't recuperate fully and without interruption, it would just make things slower, difficult.

Itachi entered her room and laid her down on her bed, gently sliding his hands from under her. He took one of her hands in his and reaffixed the black band to her wrist, and then proceeded to do the same with the other. As he lifted his weight from the bed and turned to walk out, a soft, strangled cry escaped her lips.

He turned to regard her.

Slender fingers desperately clenched and rumpled the sheets, her breathing came fast and shallow, her eyelids twitched from the frantic movement of the eyes beneath them, as if seeing something so alarming, so terrifying…

Itachi wondered uninterestedly if she was having a nightmare. Silently, he turned again and made for the door, ignoring Sakura's desperate cries.

"Sa… Sasuke…kun…" The trembling girl sobbed, hiccoughing slightly, "Nnng…p-please don't die… I-I love you…"

At the door frame Itachi froze. Slowly, blood red eyes turned to the twitching girl on the bed and as he stared a single, solitary tear slid silently down her pale skin, glistening a trail in its wake. For a moment, Itachi _only _stared, barely aware that his fingers were splintering the wood of the doorframe he clutched beneath them.

Suddenly, in his mind, everything fell into place.

Eyes narrowed and mouth curled in mild disgust, he spun and exited the room, shutting the door heavily behind him.

_----_

_xx_

_---_

_I will find you… brother…_

A cloaked man fought valiantly against the ferocious snow-storm, his dark figure cutting a stark contrast against the blinding sea of white that desperately tried to swallow him. Although at first glance many would guess him an unfortunate lost soul aimlessly trying to break free of the blizzard's icy grip, this man knew _exactly _where he was going and what he'd do when he got there. Guided by his unquenchable thirst for revenge and the knowledge that he could never look back, he persevered, only existing for his one, solitary purpose.

For this purpose, Sasuke had walked and laughed with angels, danced and dwelled with devils, but _still _his brother had quashed his efforts as easily as one swats an irritating little fly. And now, he only relied on himself, and only lived in the raw, unrestrained need to bring his brother's end with his own two hands. But he had been searching for so long; the Akatsuki had all but disappeared. Coming to the land of Snow… he was clutching at straws, and although he was following a vague rumour from a drunken man in a distant country, he had no choice… it was the only lead he'd had in weeks.

As Sasuke pressed on and the lights of a town in the distance drew nearer, he wasn't comforting himself in the confidence that shortly he'd be warm, rested and secure… instead, he grinned deliciously in the certainty that he'd soon be one step closer to his brother's demise.

When he reached town, he headed straight for the bar. Inside it was dark and gloomy, and a smothering blanket of smoke hung over the few patrons' bent heads. From experience, he knew that if anyone visited a town they'd likely first visit the bar… a place where gossip and rumours flowed almost as freely as the spirits, and where one was most likely to catch word of the activities of a certain group of criminals.

But the place was quiet and sombre; the only sounds a few hushed whispers and the clinking of glasses and bottles as the patrons miserably drowned their sorrows. It looked like he wouldn't be finding much here, but after his battle with the bitter storm his body was aching for alcohol, so he gently lowered himself onto a stool and a young barmaid hurried over to serve him.

"What do ya-" She trailed off, startled, as the stranger had removed his hood and revealed a beautiful face that was a rare find in such a squalid establishment. A beautiful face painfully similar to his brother's that he'd cursed and loathed, and was the cause of many a shattered mirror. "Wow… so pale. What are ya, a prince or something?" She gasped, leaning closer as she rested on her elbows.

"Heh," A hollow, humourless sound, "Just get me a drink."

The lady huffed, but nodded. "Whaddaya-"

"Something strong."

As the barmaid hurried off to comply, Sasuke closed his eyes and attuned his ears to the faint, soft whispers of a couple of men huddled in a distant corner. Their conversation was frantic, excited, and the Uchiha was hard-pressed to make out any comprehensible sentences. But he managed to catch a _few _words here and there.

…_days… nin was…-napped… sissy cloaks…-you…_

His dark eyes flew open. _Sissy cloaks?_ Before the speaking man had time to blink, Sasuke had grabbed him by the collar and raised him, growling, to eye level. "_What_ did you just say?"

Startled, he could only stutter. "I-I…"

"_Tell me_!" Sasuke's voice boomed, and every drunken eye in the bar was fixed on him.

The man's face was steadily losing its colour and a fine line of sweat trickled down his temple. "I-I said I heard a coupla guys in sissy cloaks kidnapped some med-nin down in Shunyou!"

"Sissy cloaks?"

"Y-Yeah… _shit_, don't ho-hold so tight! I can't br-"

Grunting in irritation, Sasuke dropped the man roughly to the ground and glared down his nose with piercing ebony eyes. "Explain. _Now_."

After spluttering and frantically rubbing his neck to stimulate the blood flow back to his head, the man finally heaved enough air to speak. "Black… with little red clouds, real sissy ya know?" Sasuke's eyes now almost bulged out of their sockets and noticing this, the man hastily continued, "S-some guy with red eyes and a shark-man… that's all I heard, I swear it."

"…Alright. Where is Shunyou?" Sasuke couldn't suppress the excited tremor creeping into his voice.

"Fire! The east coast of Fire… _shit_," He was _still_ furiously rubbing his neck, "You didn't have to half strangle me… I'da told you if you'd just asked-" The terrified man froze mid-sentence. What he was certain had just been black, bled into deep crimson.

Sasuke, his eyes wide and now blood red, chuckled a low, trembling chuckle; the kind only breaking free of the lips of madmen. "I'm coming… brother…"

The patrons only saw the tail of his cloak as Sasuke leapt over a chair and sped out of the bar's exit, leaving it open in his wake. The barmaid stared after him , her arms now shaking and goose bumped, but she couldn't tell if it was from the cold night's air now streaming through the wide-open door, or the fear of her red-eyed 'prince'. She asked the question on everyone's lips.

"Was that… a demon?"

_----_

_xx_

_---_

It was exactly the same as yesterday. The last Sakura remembered she was knelt over the Akatsuki leader healing his injuries, then she'd woke to find herself in her room just as the sun was beginning to set.

_I guess this is my life for now, huh?_

The… _routine-ness _of it all was really getting to her. Bar leaving in the morning to attend to the Akatsuki leader, she was stuck in this room day in day out, and she really couldn't figure out why. She'd accepted the Akatsuki's proposition and was bound by it now, so did they really think she'd try anything that'd jeopardize it? Sighing, she supposed they were just being extra cautious. And with what she had planned, they'd need to be.

Painfully -her limbs and joints ached from all the exertion- she stood up and moved slowly to sit in the chair by the window where Itachi had sat the first night, and looked longingly at the beautiful, waning evening outside. Although she'd yet to see the exterior of the house, she wondered why Akatsuki would be staying at such a beautiful location; the very little she'd seen of it was hardly what she expected of the abode belonging to a group of S-ranked criminals'. From what she _could _see through her tiny little window, it was tantalizingly close to the clear blue sea and surrounded by fields full with flowers and trees, the beauty of which she'd never seen before.

_I'd give anything to be out there right now…_

If she closed her eyes and concentrated she could _almost_ trick herself into believing she _was _out there, and the warm evening sunshine that bathed her skin wasn't obstructed by a thick sheet of glass.

She sighed, _When Itachi comes to bring me my food… I'll ask him if I can leave this room, even for a little while._

If Itachi stayed true to the routine, he would enter her room any moment now with a silver tray, upon which there'd be a hefty meal and glass of water. And sure enough, she heard the telltale clicks of him unlocking the door, and then a creak as he pushed it open and entered. Sakura turned and watched as he placed the tray on her bedside table, precisely where he'd left it the day before, and turned swiftly to leave the room.

Her eyes narrowed, and she found herself clenching her fists in irritation. Itachi… always cool, always looking so damn perfect, his whole demeanour so emotionless and uncaring, never realising just how many lives he'd fucked up … Sakura _really_ couldn't stand him. But right now he was the key to her freedom; so before he could exit the way he'd came, she stood and spoke softly, calmly. "Itachi-san… I'd like to go outside for some fresh air."

He paused and turned to her and after contemplating her words, "That is not possible."

Her composure began to crumble. "What? Why not?" He turned back to the door, and walked calmly towards it. As far as he saw it, he'd given her his answer and if she didn't want to accept it now, she could scream and cry until she _had_ to.

Sakura saw red. "You're keeping me locked up in this room like a prisoner! There's no _need_ for it!"

Again, he paused, but this time didn't waste the energy to look at her, "You are here for one reason only, Sakura-san. You'd do well to remember that."

"_Exactly_!" Sakura yelled, exasperated, "I wouldn't forget that. I'm holding up my end of the deal, aren't I? All I'm asking is for ten damn minutes of fresh air!"

"Because I swear, if you don't let me out of this room… I'm gonna go crazy."

Itachi stepped through the doorframe, pulling the door to behind him.

Sakura's mouth hung low in disbelief.

He'd ignored her, he'd just completely, utterly, _fucking_ ignored her. The burning anger and resentment toward him that'd been building for three days erupted inside and filled her with a rage like she'd never known before. The pain in her body forgotten, she ran to the door before he could close it fully and jammed her boot in the gap. Crimson eyes stared through at her impassively.

"_I hate you_!" She screamed, glaring at him with all her might, "I really _fucking_ hate you! N-Not just for this… but for every little thing you've ever done!"

Sakura felt outside of herself, screaming with reckless abandon at a man who she knew could tear out her throat in an instant, but scarily… at this moment, she realised she didn't give a damn.

"I hate you for breathing, for being born, for _existing_! I hate you for killing your parents and clan," She continued, her throat now dry and hoarse, "And I hate you the most for destroying your little brother! For fucking him up so much he…"

…left me…_ couldn't… love me. _

Tears stung her eyes, but before even one could fall Itachi had her up against the wall, his hand clenched tightly around her neck, his nails digging painfully into her skin. His eyes were furious, full of blood-lust, she _knew_ he intended her end, and suddenly, she became painfully aware of the fact that he'd killed countless men, women and children, killed his _own _mother and father without so much as a second thought… and it scared the hell out of her.

"You have _no idea _what you are talking about," He growled lowly, tilting his head as he tightened his grip.

Sakura gasped as her lungs hitched and burned painfully with the need for oxygen, her fingernails drawing blood on his arm as she instinctively tried to pry him off. Black spots appeared in the corners of her vision and with increasing panic, she realised that the end of her life was only seconds away.

Then, as it all went black, Itachi's grip loosened and she fell heavily onto the cold floor, her chest heaving violently as she struggled to fill it with air.

As her vision cleared she held her hands to her neck, rubbing the place where his cold fingers had almost stolen her life. Itachi turned from her and, seemingly having regained his poise, moved silently towards the door.

Sakura watched his back in shock. _Wh-What the hell just happened?_

Itachi was calm, collected, calculating. He thought before he spoke, thought before he moved… probably even thought before he_ breathed_. But somehow, just by mentioning his brother, she'd provoked him into lashing out at her like an unthinking, untamed animal.

_I hit a nerve, _She decided, _I _definitely _hit a nerve._

She heard him shut and lock the door, then sat, still panting slightly and listened to his disappearing footfalls. Then, when she could no longer hear his departing footsteps, the tears finally came. She cried frantically, partly from the fear of the whole situation but mostly from the fear of being only seconds away from meeting her end.

Her sobs only faltered when she heard his footsteps returning, steadily approaching her door.

_He's coming back… now I'm definitely going to die_.

Hastily, she tried to wipe away her tears and pulled herself up shakily onto the bed; if she was going to die at that asshole Itachi's hands, she'd be damned if she'd do it while crying pathetically at his feet.

He seemed to be taking an excruciatingly long time unlocking the door… but finally, he was done, and as the door handle turned, Sakura braced herself.

But it wasn't Itachi who entered. Instead, in stepped a man with blonde hair half-up half-down and clad in the standard Akatsuki robe, and when his piercing blue eyes fell on Sakura, a wide, almost maniacal grin graced his lips.

"So you're the little med-nin who's healing our leader, yeah?"

Her eyes widened as she recalled his face. _It's him… from that time when we rescued Gaara… Deidara, right?_

If it was possible, his grin widened as he moved towards the bed. "And why have you been crying, _hmm_?"

_----_

_xx_

_---_

A/N: Hi there! Thanks for the reviews and favs- I've taken your suggestions into consideration and I hope it showed in this chapter.  
How is the chapter length? I'm a newb to writing fanfics (but not to reading!) and I can't seem to get the pacing right… reading back over my fic it seems not enough has happened and I'm over 10k words now! Ah well…I tried to pick it up a bit in this chapter, and yes… I'm evil for introducing Deidara right at the end, but the next chapter will make up for that I promise -evil grin-!

--- Review Responses ---

**EnV: **Um… let's just say he is _super_ hot, Yondaime -swoon- level hot. But that's not important in this story right now. :D  
**Khazia:**'The Ever Calm Itachi' strikes again this chapter. I think Sakura had a reaction very similar to what you described too! When I argue with people I tend to try and make a dramatic exit… and mess it up _totally_, like trip over my own feet or walk into a door frame. -sigh-  
**LazyyShikamaru: **Mm cookie! Thanks! Glad like you liked their meeting, when they meet again, well…  
**SweetAssassin: **Happy :D ?  
**Blacksheep18: **Yeah, I don't really wanna attempt to guess at who the AL is… Akatsuki are so difficult to write about, so little is known. And thanks for your advice, I hope this chapter is more interesting!  
**Mind At Loss: **Hmm maybe… maybe not :D  
**Miakoda13: **Eeep… he's even worse in this chapter, but I can justify it! Aaall in due time :D and you're welcome!  
**AnimeFreak: **Okay, you won't kill me now right? …Right?

As always, any feedback is _really _appreciated… Ja!


	4. Chapter 4

**Spoiler warning**: I gave a warning of teeny spoilers last chapter, but this time there's quite a few big ones and they're right at the start. If you've read up to ch280ish, you'll be fine. Otherwise, beeewaaare!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, never have, never will. It's the property of Masashi Kishimoto and it's best that way.

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**Torn**

Chapter 4

_By Shanpuu_

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"And why have you been crying, _hmm_?" Deidara asked, the grin of a madman pasted across his face.

As he approached her Sakura watched him cautiously. His blue eyes, outlined in black, were wide and piercing, and she _really _didn't appreciate being looked at like that.

"Not gonna tell me, hmm?" Deidara questioned the silent girl as he reached the bed and propped himself up on his elbows beside her. As he leant back his cloak fell open to reveal a lean, well-toned torso covered only by a loose fish-net vest and as Sakura desperately tried to keep her gaze at eye-level, she cursed whoever decided that maniacs should be so attractive.

It was obvious he was trying to make her uncomfortable and Sakura didn't want to give him the satisfaction. But as his weight on the mattress tipped her slowly towards him, she instinctively scooted over a little and Deidara's grin only grew more delighted.

"Hmm, so it really is you…" He drawled in his smooth, silky voice as he looked up, keenly studying her features. "The little girl who bumped off Sasori-danna… Sakura, yeah?"

Sakura didn't utter a word; she was too busy wondering why this man was in her room, on her bed and what the hell he wanted from her.

_Maybe… he's pissed off I killed his partner and wants revenge? _She wondered._ But after all this time? _There was certainly no animosity in his eyes or voice, but with a man whose favourite pastime is to make stuff go 'boom', you can never _really _be certain.

"Kisame and Itachi really did get lucky then, yeah… with you being a team-mate of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, too." He pouted, an expression that looked alien on the face of a man adorned in the Akatsuki dress. "Hmph, those two are boring bastards though, yeah. Keeping a little kunoichi cooped up in here when they could be having _fun_ with her…"

_Fun with me?_ Sakura wondered, startled. Now that wouldn't worry her _too _much if he wasn't a bomb-happy maniac. His previous words entered her mind,

'_Art is a bang!'_

Yes, he'd said that right before blowing _himself_ up (though she now realised it must've been a bunshin) and nearly taking the lives of her and her friends with him. Sakura suddenly felt that the bed, although king-sized, was _far_ too small, and her eyes nervously flittered between the man and the door, calculating the risks of making a break for it.

"But hmm," he looked up thoughtfully, "Itachi was assigned to watch over you… I guess he found it easier this way than having you wander around his house."

"This is _Itachi's _house?" Escape forgotten; Sakura asked suddenly, gasping.

"So you _do_ talk, hmm?" Deidara remarked, his grin never faltering. "And it's his house, yeah."

"But aren't S-Rank criminals meant to hang out in underground caves… or _something_?"

A deep chuckle escaped Deidara's lips. "It say that in your little Bingo Book?"

"No-- I just assumed…"

"Well, even the cruellest of bastards needs his creature comforts, yeah," the blonde replied.

"I suppose…" But really, it was difficult to think of a man like Itachi acting, well… human. She had expected his home to be some dark, gothic tower that any self-respecting vampire would be proud of… Scratch that, she didn't even expect him to have a home, let alone a beautiful, peaceful house by the sea. The cold Uchiha _really _didn't make any sense.

"So. Why were you crying, hmm?"

Sakura met his eyes, frowned, then turned to stare unseeingly at her feet. "It's nothing…"

"You expect me to believe that, yeah?"

The pink haired girl gently shut her eyes. "Why would you care?"

"It's just that… your eyes are all red and puffy, and your skin looks all sticky and blotchy," Deidara explained, scrunching up his nose-- _much _to Sakura's irritation, "and it's not very attractive, not very nice to look at, yeah."

"You think I care what _you _think of me?" Sakura retorted, glaring at the ever-grinning blonde.

"_Deidara-san_!" Before Deidara could reply, a muffled voice called his name and heavy footsteps pitter-pattered towards the room.

Deidara furrowed his brow in irritation, his air of nonchalance shattered. "Fuck off Tobi!" He growled, irritably.

_Tobi?_ Sakura wondered, _Is that another Akatsuki member?_

A swirly masked-face lined with messy black hair peeped around the door frame, and perked up when it spotted the blonde resting on the bed. "Deidara-san, I'm just letting you know your dinner is ready."

'_Letting him know his dinner is ready'?_ Sakura quirked an eyebrow, strangely disturbed by the homeliness of it all.

Sighing, the blonde regretfully rose to his feet and strode towards the masked man, Sakura watching him carefully all the while. At the door, he turned back to her with a questioning look that she couldn't quite place.

"What are you doing, hmm?" He asked her, and at her confused silence, he added, "are you coming or not?"

Sakura gaped at him, "Coming? But Itachi said-"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Who gives a shit? Just come on."

She knew the blonde was crazy, but not to this extent of betraying the Uchiha's wishes. She stared at him, her jaw hanging low in shock. "B-But…"

A wicked gleam entered his beady blue eyes. "I'd shut that mouth before someone gets tempted to put something in it, yeah."

Her previous nervousness shattered and she glared at him with affronted fury. "_What? _How dare-"

"Better," he said, chuckling at her reaction. "Now come out before I change my mind and leave you locked in there with Tobi."

"_What_?" Tobi cried indignantly as Sakura bit her lip in indecision.

If she left, there was no doubt Itachi would be mighty pissed off that she'd done so without his permission… but to be away from these four suffocating, all-too familiar walls was a temptation she was finding hard to resist. Besides, she was still hungry; the meal Itachi had brought lay untouched on the bedside table and was no doubt getting all cold and soggy by now. It was probably a decision she'd live to regret but for a little taste of freedom and some appetising food, she'd risk the Uchiha's fury.

But as she approached Deidara, and he leered like at her a wolf who'd just found himself a sheep lost from the herd, she couldn't help but wonder if there was _something _that she was missing…

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_This is weird. This is _really _weird. This is _really _freaky… Naruto won't believe me when I tell him about this… _if _I make it out alive, that is._

Who'd have guessed the Akatsuki sit down to eat dinner at a table like a family?

Sakura was _still_ finding it hard to believe but there she sat, dining with three of the most dangerous criminals known to the world, eating a home-cooked meal that even her mother would be proud of. Well, _trying _to eat it anyway… as she poked nervously at a carrot on her plate, she couldn't keep her eyes from glancing between the three men. Itachi, ever silent and calm, sat at the head of the table, Kisame sat across from her eating something so slimy, so disgusting, she didn't even attempt to identify it, and Deidara sat on her right, his feet propped up on the table as he munched contentedly on a chicken leg.

And it didn't make it any more logical that she sat in _Itachi's _house, _Itachi's _dining room. _Uchiha Itachi_; the man who'd murdered his family and clan in cold blood, who was callous and evil, who had made her life a living hell, and had decided to paint his dining room a lovely shade of terracotta. The image of Itachi clutching a paint brush while clothed in paint-splattered dungarees made her want to rip her hair our in terror.

She had been tempted to turn back and head to her room when she spotted the Uchiha sitting at the table, but she needn't have worried… he hadn't so much as glanced at her the whole time and it seemed as though he'd forgotten the whole 'strangling' incident. But since her arrival, Itachi, Kisame and even the extroverted Deidara had not uttered a word and the hushed chorus of steel clashing with porcelain was _really _wrecking her nerves. She almost wished they'd make small talk…

'So, Kisame, how was your day? Cut anyone's legs off with Samehada?'

'Not today, but I _did _manage to decapitate a few dozen women and children, haha! Give anyone a mental breakdown with your Tsukuyomi, Itachi?'

On second thought, Akatsuki small talk would be _way_ too creepy.

The only blessing in the whole situation was that as sure as she was that Itachi would rip her head off after realising she'd left her room without permission, the cold Uchiha hadn't spared her a single glance the whole time. But her reprieve didn't last very long.

"She was not to leave her room, Deidara." Itachi said suddenly, startling Sakura into nearly dropping her fork.

Deidara paused mid-chew, and contemplated a few moments before speaking. "She's doing no harm though, yeah?"

"It is unwise of you to disobey my rules having just returned from Earth country empty handed. You are treading dangerous ground Deidara," Itachi said coolly, his calm tone contradicting his heated words.

Maybe it was just instinct because the Uchiha was so damn hard to read, but something told her he _really _didn't like the mischievous blonde. But Itachi didn't strike her as the type to hesitate in killing someone that got on his nerves…

So maybe it was the case that he simply _couldn't_…

Deidara wouldn't have appeared so nonchalant if it was any other way. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? The kunoichi's taken the job," the blonde retorted, waving the chicken leg at Sakura. "Besides, we _did _capture a med-nin. But he… uh, didn't make it through the journey, hmm."

"Another? Perhaps you should take more care while we are in such a delicate situation."

"Not my fault he pissed Tobi off," Deidara huffed, frowning slightly. "Tobi seems like a stupid bastard, but you should see him when he gets angry… the idiot doesn't know his own strength, yeah."

A few minutes of silence ensued. Itachi merely stared at the blonde, and although he appeared calm and composed Sakura couldn't shake off the feeling that he was akin to a predator, lying in wait for the right moment to strike. Unconsciously, she fingered the still prominent nail marks on her neck where Itachi's cold fingers had been, and wondered if Deidara knew just how much danger he was in.

But if the blonde was intimidated, he didn't show it. Obliviously, he finished off the chicken leg and took a few long, audible swigs of sake.

Finally, Itachi pushed out his chair and stood from the table, and silently headed towards the door. At the threshold, he turned back to Sakura. "Sakura-san, you will return to your room promptly after you are finished. Understood?"

"Yes Itachi-san," she nodded meekly, and seemingly satisfied with her answer, he continued out the door.

"Fucking control freak," Deidara muttered when they could no longer hear his departing footsteps. "I shoulda shoved this chicken leg up his ass, yeah."

"Perhaps you should try it next time and see what happens," Kisame, who'd been silent up until now, said with a grin, a low chuckle escaping his pasty lips.

"_Perhaps_ I will," Deidara mocked his amused tone. "Only… I'll send one of my clay birds up along with it, yeah."

Kisame shook his head, smiling slightly. He swallowed the last bite of his meal then stood from the table, but turned to address Sakura before he left. "Kunoichi, you should heed Itachi's parting words," he warned her, and he glimpsed at Deidara for the briefest of moments, before returning his attention to her. "I'm sure you already know it is unwise to anger him."

Involuntarily fingering her neck again, Sakura nodded. "…I know. I'm well aware of my responsibilities here, Kisame-san."

Nodding, the shark-like man left the room, leaving her alone with the impish blonde, whose sapphire eyes now stared at her intently.

"So… we're all alone now, hmm?" he said, one side of his lip quirking in a crooked smirk.

_That_ smirk told her to put as much space between him and her as possible, and _fast_, so hastily she began to rise from her seat too, explaining, "I should go back n-"

Deidara's harsh tone halted her mid-stand. "_Stay._"

"But-"

"No buts. You can't leave yet, you haven't even touched your sake, kunoichi," He said, feigning offence as he pointed to the full glass that lay, almost forebodingly beside her plate.

Sakura met his eyes, then followed his finger to gaze at the sake. "I'm… not much of a drinker," she admitted, truthfully.

Deidara was not easily discouraged. "You're not allowed to leave the table until you've finished your sake, yeah. It's an Akatsuki rule. Plus," he added, raising a finger matter-of-factly, "as a guest it's rude _not_ to drink it, yeah."

"Don't bullshit me." She was also not so easily discouraged. "And I'm hardly a guest, am I?"

"_Still_. We went to all the trouble of pouring it for you, the least you could do is drink even a little of it, yeah."

_Yeah, it really takes a lot of effort to pour a little alcohol in a glass… _Sakura thought sarcastically. _Besides, I need to be up early to heal the leader again tomorrow… if I have even a hint of a hangover…_

She didn't want to think what would happen then. She stood up fully. "No."

"_Sit down _and drink, Kunoichi, or I swear I'll fucking force it down your throat myself." His eyes were wide, dangerous as he said this and the playful, teasing glint had disappeared. .

"Fine, whatever." Slowly, she sat back down, lifting the glass to her lips and taking a small sip. "Happy now?"

Deidara rolled his eyes. "More."

She took another sip and looked at the blonde expectantly.

He shook his head. "_More!_"

Irritated, Sakura held the glass to her lips and threw her head back, downing the alcohol in one go. A throbbing, burning sensation lined her mouth and throat, and she keeled over in a fit of coughs. "Th-That's disgusting!" she cried, when the burning had finally receded.

Deidara, who'd smiled delightedly the entire time, pulled his chair next to hers and lifted the sake bottle. "I'll pour you another glass, hmm?"

Sakura stared, with growing trepidation, as he eagerly filled her glass. _What do I do…?_

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Itachi awoke. He wasn't exactly sure how long he'd slept, but the sun had just set when he'd laid down his head, and now the moon was high; a glowing beacon in the inky night sky. It wasn't like him to fall asleep so easily, but his thoughts had been so turbulent since the morning that he supposed he'd needed it.

The girl had disturbed him greatly. Her whispered words had brought him a stark revelation; one that was so obvious and made so much sense he wondered angrily why he had not seen it before.

She was in _love _with his little brother.

She was no doubt his weakness. She was the reason that even after he'd taken everything from Sasuke and left him a start contrast of the oblivious, hopeless little boy he'd been, he was _still_ too weak, he _still _lacked enough hatred and he would never reach the marker that Itachi had set for him. And because of that he yearned to kill her, had _almost _killed her. He glanced at his fingers as he remembered them clutched tightly around her neck, slowly draining her of life… he'd felt her fingernails desperately breaking his flesh, watched as her bright green eyes had grown dull, glazed over. And it had all felt _so _right.

But he had stopped himself, regained his control, because at the moment she was unfortunately necessary… but as soon as that changed, he would take great pleasure and satisfaction in ending her annoying little life. But as she was needed, he pushed himself up and left to check she had made it safely back to her room.

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It had been sort of like standing back and watching as a house burns to the ground, knowing you should do _something_ to stop it, but doing nothing for the fear of getting burnt. Sakura _knew_ Deidara was trying to get her drunk, though she didn't know why, but she also knew that those little black bands wrapped around her wrists placed her at his mercy.

And she'd already more than passed the point of no return, anyway. The room was spinning, her brain was slow and groggy, and nonsense spewed from her mouth freely, but she didn't seem to care. She knew she'd drunk far too much, but with Deidara sitting beside and eagerly coaxing her, there was not a damn thing she could do about it. She could only hope she'd have a such a bad hangover in the morning that she wouldn't feel _too _much pain when Itachi wrung her neck.

"You're… trying to get me drunk…"

"Correction-- I've _got_ you drunk. But not drunk enough yet, yeah." Yet more sake was poured. "Here."

Sakura tried to focus on the glass in front of her, but it seemed to be sliding around the table on its own… so she thrust her hand out to grab it, but wasn't able to catch it until Deidara guided hers with his own.

"Waitaminute," she frowned, waving the glass at him accusingly. "You've hardly drunk any yourself!"

Smirking, he stole the glass from her fingers and emptied it in one mouthful. Afterwards, he swept his sleeve across his mouth in a large, exaggerated gesture and let out a loud sigh. "Unlike you _I _can hold my drink, yeah."

"Itsh the…firsht time I've been drunk…"

"Then you should make the best of it, hmm?"

"Nnng…" Sakura moaned, and her head fell forward to rest on the table, her cheek pressing against it making her lips stick out in a fish-like pout. She frowned, staring up at the blonde with glassy eyes. "I jusht noticed… your head… it looks like a pineapple." And she burst into a fit of laughter as if she'd just cracked the joke of the century.

Deidara's eyebrow twitched; he obviously didn't appreciate anyone insulting his hair, but he shrugged it off and fixed her with an amused smile. "So you're the giggling kind of drunk, yeah?"

Sakura was too busy giggling to reply.

"But really. How pathetic; a grown woman and you can't even hold your alcohol, yeah…"

The pink-haired girl's giggles finally ceased and, sitting up, she grabbed the sake bottle from the table and waved it wildly in his face. Deidara's eyes widened as the precious contents spilled everywhere. "I _can_ hold it! See see?"

"Don't spill it!" Deidara warned, and placed his hand around hers to steady it. It was just a small, innocent touch, it should've been brushed off and forgotten about… but at that touch, the mood in the room shifted dramatically. Sakura stared at his hand in a stupor, willing it to leave hers, but being too drunk to do much about it.

His hand; the hand of an artist, was warm and smooth and only slightly larger than hers, and even in her drunken state, she couldn't help but feel they didn't belong on a mass murderer. Her cheeks suddenly felt _very_ warm. Was she blushing? Or was that just the alcohol's affect on her? She couldn't tell.

Suddenly, she remembered that he had _mouths_ on each of his palms and although she couldn't feel them, she frantically tried to pull her hand away. But he didn't let go. It felt like a few minutes had passed, but he still made no move to remove his hand. Instead, he began to caress her fingers with his, staring into her eyes intently, a gleam inside of them that even out of her current state, she'd be clueless to comprehend.

And then he was leaning towards her. And suddenly she realised with muted horror that he was going to _kiss_ her.

Take the first kiss that for so long she'd saved for Sasuke. But her body felt weak, her limbs were heavy and she could barely keep her eyes open; she was powerless to stop him.

"Deidara." A deep voice froze the man in question barely an inch from stealing Sakura's lips, each syllable angrily emphasized; Itachi obviously did not approve of the scene before him. "That is enough."

Sakura turned to groggily regard the Uchiha. Standing at the threshold, he was bathed in shadows; his narrowed crimson eyes the only reason she could tell he was there. He entered slowly, clothed only in a rumpled vest and loose black pants, his hair slightly mussed. Sakura realised, in astonishment, that the Uchiha actually looked dishevelled.

"Is it?" The blonde asked as he leant away from Sakura, a brilliant grin stretching his lips. "I haven't quite… quenched my thirst yet, yeah."

"You heard me approaching," he said coolly and Sakura's sluggish mind tried to figure out the significance of that statement.

He was suddenly beside her, lifting her chin with cold fingers and she stared up at him with half-lidded eyes as he carefully studied her face. Then, he narrowed his eyes ever so slightly and turned to the blonde. "Do not forget what she is doing is as important to you as I, Deidara. How can she be expected to carry out her duties in the morning in such a state?"

"I'll be fine!" Sakura protested, hoping to diffuse the tense atmosphere as she struggled to her feet, but the room suddenly spun violently, and she lurched forward. Itachi caught her easily.

"Well… perhaps you should take more care in such a-- _delicate_ situation, yeah," the beaming blonde chided, turning the Uchiha's earlier words back on him.

Vowing to himself to kill the blonde when the first opportunity appeared, he almost growled, "Get out of my sight."

"As you wish," Deidara said smugly as he left the room, leaving Itachi standing there, cradling the drunken girl. As he glanced down at her flushed face, he realised she'd passed out and moved swiftly to return her to her room.

Much as he had that morning, he placed her on the bed but as he slid his hands from under her, her slender arms entwined around his neck and pulled his head down gently towards hers. Startled, Itachi froze, his blood-red eyes now firmly fixed on her jugular.

"Sasuke-kun… don't leave me…" She whispered, her husky voice sounding so lonely, so vulnerable in the room's vast silence.

Itachi leant closer, his lips almost brushing her ear. Then, with a touch as tender as a lover's he brushed petal-pink hair away from her cheek and spoke; his words a cruel, rusty dagger aimed for her heart. "I don't want you Sakura…"

She frowned.

"I'd rather cut out my tongue with a blunt knife than _ever _be with you."

She struggled to move her face away from his fingers but he only held tighter, nails digging lightly into her soft cheeks. And he twisted the knife.

"So love me, yearn for me, but still-- I'll never be yours… and I'll _never_ love you."

"Sasuke-kun… no…" Her arms fell limply from his neck to rest on the bed at her sides, her frown was deep and he was certain he could see shimmering tears forming under her thick lashes. Standing, he smiled and left.

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A/N: Phew, done and there's probably a lot of mistakes… -sigh-. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I don't have time to write responses at the moment, but I just hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

Next one out soon! Ja!


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